Editorial - 18-20

It’s been a tumultuous but ultimately productive year for Canadian S&T. Amidst the confusion of an election campaign and the emergence of a minority government, many organizations were undertaking important planning and strategy exercises that display new levels of maturity and foresight.

The results of this activity are only now emerging and they reflect a growing understanding of innovation, the research enterprise and the interconnectedness of the various players.

The National Research Council is forging ahead with a plan for renewal despite the challenge of expenditure review and the imminent arrival of a new president (see pages 1 and 3). Canada’s high performance computing community has developed a remarkable long range plan that — if funded and executed — could accelerate the computing revolution sweeping across the nation’s laboratories.

Add to these a new 10-year strategic plan from Science and Engineering Research Canada (NSERC), the completion of projects like the MaRS Discovery District and many others, and it’s easy to understand the growing optimism about Canada’s future in a global knowledge economy.

Of course it’s up to Ottawa to lead the way by facilitating and funding those proposals that will ultimately enable the translation of new knowledge into social and economic benefits. Minority governments present their own special challenges, but they also encourage a degree of consensus that’s essential if Canada is to succeed in the long term. 2005 is going to be a very interesting year.